pass
the gravy nine
tips to help you survive hosting your first thanksgiving
by Yee-Fan Sun| 1
23

Thereís
nothing like that first Thanksgiving away from your family to make you
realize that youíre growing up. And you know youíve officially
entered the realm of adulthood when you make the big, bold step of
deciding to then host a bevy of hungry friends for a turkey day
gathering at your very own home. Itís an exciting thing, as you find
yourself fantasizing about the pies youíll bake and the turkey youíll
roast and the friends whoíll be squeezed around your table, passing
around good food and basking in the fuzzy warm goodness of a full belly
and fine company. But as that fourth Thursday in November creeps closer
and closer, the reality of whatís involved begins to sink in. You
realize your dining tableís too small, that you donít have enough
chairs, and youíve never so much as roasted a chicken before in your
life, never mind a 15 lb. monstrosity of a bird. And soon itís visions
of charred turkeys and bruised elbows you have dancing in your hand, as
the stress of planning your first Thanksgiving dinner begins to fully
set in.

But take a deep breath and relax, because weíre here to tell you
that itíll all turn out fine. To help make sure that everything goes
smoothly, check out these nine tips Ö

1

Make it a potluck,
where you supply the bird and stuffing and ask guests to bring their
favorite side dishes or desserts. If youíre feeling really
industrious, or have a couple of dishes you absolutely canít imagine
doing without on Thanksgiving Ė Momís candied yams, Grandmaís
pecan pie Ė let your pals know youíll be providing those as well as
the main course. But Thanksgiving isnít Thanksgiving without a surfeit
of food, and unless youíre lucky enough to be able to take a whole
week off from real life to slave away in the kitchen, youíll go nuts
if you aim to provide the entirety of the meal all by your lonesome.
Besides, getting friends to bring their own personal Thanksgiving
must-haves is a great way to get a taste of other peoplesí prized
family recipes.